Abbas Sherif AlAskari: A Mastermind of Financial Deception and smuggling across the UK
12 Feb, 2025
Abbas Sherif AlAskari is one such a personality, a man that may not feature in a balance sheet or a financial audit report or any investigative report for that matter…not at this point in time. However, beyond the public eye, Abbas Sherif AlAskari becomes involved in various acts of embezzlement, subterfuge and money-laundering that takes place across continents, crude oil industries, phantom companies and the even the Internet black market.
Abbas emerged from a family history marked by political manipulation and mafia activities to reach power through precise illegal schemes which relied heavily on deceitful practices and skillful manipulation techniques. The life of this feared money laundering figure started when he founded Abza Group Ltd., which served as the foundation for his international crime syndicate.
A Story of Shell Companies and Smuggling
A metaphysical business domain contains enterprises designed solely for documentation purposes and absent personnel along with facilities and merchandise. These entities known as shell companies serve the purpose of validating illegal transactions through their legal status. Abbas Sherif AlAskari develops a business empire based on shell company establishments. Abza Group Ltd. operates as a crucial player despite its false foundation of UK business interests. But how does it work?
How Shell Companies Operate:
Creation: A shell company is registered in a jurisdiction with lax financial regulations, like the UK, Dominica, or Panama.
Function: It has no employees or genuine business operations. Instead, it is a vehicle used to move money across borders without detection.
Purpose: The goal is simple—mask the origins of illicit money and funnel it through legitimate-sounding businesses, often linked to real estate, oil, or international trade.
Shell companies allow criminals like Abbas to move money seamlessly, often through multiple accounts and across multiple countries, until it becomes impossible to trace. Abbas uses these companies to launder profits from his sophisticated oil smuggling network, which begins in Iran and ends in various black-market transactions throughout Europe and the Middle East.
The Oil Smuggling Operation: From Bandar Abbas to the World
At the heart of Abbas Sherif AlAskari’s Israel network lies a well-oiled machine of oil smuggling—a clandestine operation that defies international sanctions. The operation begins in Bandar Abbas, a major Iranian port, where crude oil is stored in secret facilities owned by Abbas’s family. From here, the oil is transported on Panamanian-registered vessels—ships that exist only on paper, and whose movements are disguised to avoid detection by global authorities.
Abbas Sherif AlAskari’s Israeli associates don’t just stop there. They exploit gaps in global financial systems to divert business funds to personal accounts, making it nearly impossible to distinguish between legitimate corporate profits and illicit earnings.
The Money Laundering Machine: A Global Web of Deception
In today’s interconnected world, money laundering is more sophisticated than ever. And Abbas is no mere participant; he is a kingpin in this underground financial system.
How Money Laundering Works:
Placement: Illicit money is introduced into the financial system through businesses, casinos, or banks, sometimes disguised as investments in commodities such as oil or cocoa.
Layering: The money is then moved through a series of complex transactions, crossing borders and being transferred between multiple accounts or companies. This process creates a trail that is difficult to trace.
Integration: Finally, the laundered money is returned to the legitimate economy, often through real estate investments, luxury goods, or businesses like Abbas’s shell companies.
The World of Fake Investments: Luring Victims into Ponzi Schemes
But Abbas Sherif AlAsakri’s Israel operations are not limited to oil. He has mastered the art of luring innocent victims into fake investment schemes, promising them high returns on investments in oil, gas, gold, and even real estate. These are not legitimate business ventures. Rather, they are complex Ponzi schemes, built on nothing more than the illusion of prosperity.
Different Types of Ponzi Investment Schemes:
Oil and Gas: Abbas promises large returns from oil exploration projects. Investors are told that a portion of the profits will be used to bribe politicians and secure mining rights. Once the money is collected, Abbas disappears.
Real Estate: Often marketed as a ‘safe investment’, fake real estate deals are used to scam investors. They are promised huge returns, only to later find out that the properties don't exist, or worse, they belong to someone else entirely.
Cocoa and Commodities: Cocoa, the beloved global commodity, is often the perfect product for fake investment schemes. Investors are lured by the growing demand for cocoa in the global market, only to find their investments vanish into thin air.
The International Web of Corruption
It’s not just Abbas who benefits from this criminal network. His family members, including his sister and her husband Meghdad Tabrizian, play crucial roles in furthering the illicit activities. His girlfriend – Setareh Heshmat, for instance, is heavily involved in laundering money through her connections in Canada. With Abbas Sherif AlAskari financing her lavish lifestyle and even paying for her education, Setareh Heshmat uses her position to help move large sums of money through various international channels.
At the same time, Meghdad Tabrizian—an individual deeply tied to the Iranian regime—coordinates the operation in the UK, overseeing the companies that serve as fronts for the money laundering operation. These companies, like London Surface Design Limited and London Heritage Stone Limited, appear legitimate, but they are simply vehicles for funneling illicit funds generated by the smuggling of oil and other resources.
The reach of Abbas's operation is vast. From Europe to the Middle East, from Canada to the Caribbean, his network stretches far and wide, with individuals like Mohsen Fallahian—a convicted murderer with connections to terrorist organizations—acting as key players in the operation. Together, they are able to exploit the international financial system with alarming efficiency.
A Growing Threat: The Increasing Incidents of Money Laundering in the UK
The rise in the number of money laundering cases in the UK reflects a growing global issue. In recent years, the UK has seen a sharp increase in financial crimes, with criminals like Abbas Sherif AlAskari at the forefront. Through shell companies, fake investments, and sophisticated networks, these criminals are able to launder billions, affecting everything from real estate markets to global oil prices.
The involvement of prominent figures with ties to terror financing only adds another layer of danger to the situation. As the authorities continue to investigate, the full scale of these operations is beginning to unfold, revealing just how deep the rabbit hole goes.
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